Remember early spring, when the search was announced for Walmart’s Mom of the Year?
Who would have thought that 16,909 nominations would come through?! I think, as moms, we probably all deserve a pat on the back. I couldn’t even imagine what the panel of judges had to go through to narrow it down and who would have the coveted title.
From the nominations, the panel of judges, consisting of Olympic athlete Hayley Wickenheiser, Quebec opera singer Natalie Choquette, and Today’s Parent Editor-in-Chief, Karine Ewart along with President and CEO,Walmart Canada, Shelley Broader and Senior Vice-President Marketing, Walmart Canada, Emma Fox, narrowed the selection down to eight finalists.
This past weekend, the eight finalists and their families were flown in to Toronto. After a day of pampering and a special gala dinner at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The winner was announced….drum roll………
Congratulations to Katie Schulz of Dundas, Ontario!
She was nominated by her husband Jason!
In honour of all that moms do, Walmart Canada launched the annual award initiative on Mother’s Day design to give Canadians an opportunity to recognize moms who demonstrate a tireless commitment and dedication to their family and community.
All eight finalists received $10,000 as a reward to treat themselves and an additional $10,000 to donate to the charity of choice. The winner, Katie Schultz, was also awarded $100,000 to the charity of her choice.
So, what was Katie’s story?
Katie is dedicated to making her daughter’s life a long and happy one. In 2009, she gave birth to Sophia who was diagnosed with the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting young Canadians: Cystic Fibrosis. Katie has since dedicated herself to both her daughter’s care and to the fight against the disease, providing Sophia with two hours of chest physiotherapy daily and teach her to take over 20 digestion pills. Katie was elected President of the Kitchener-Waterloo chapter of Cystic Fibrosis Canada and her tireless efforts have also helped to make the area’s Great Strides fundraising walk one of the most successful in Canada. In her spare time, Katie has written a children’s book about her daughter and Cystic Fibrosis.
Katie’s charity of choice is Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
To find out more about Walmart’s Mom of the Year Award and the eight finalists please visit the official website at www.momoftheyear.ca
Congratulations Katie!
This is wonderful. I can imagine how tiring her life is as well. What a great example of a mom to all the rest of us overtired working mom’s with special needs kids out there. Way to go Katie and way to go hubby, for recognizing all the hard work you do!
Wow, what a great story! Congratulations, Katie!